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France\u2019s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot and foreign ministers of European countries attend a signing ceremony after a Ukraine-EU meeting, in Lviv [Roman Baluk\/Reuters]<\/p>\nThe tribunal will hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ministers to account for the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Kyiv\u2019s European allies have endorsed the creation of a special tribunal to hold top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, to account for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
European Union foreign ministers, who met in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday, signed off on the tribunal, named the \u201cLviv statement\u201d, to mark the conclusion of the technical work to draft the legal body.<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told reporters there was no space for \u201cimpunity\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia\u2019s aggression cannot go unpunished and therefore establishing this tribunal is extremely important,\u201d Kallas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tribunal will ensure that those most responsible for the aggression against Ukraine are held accountable,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said the tribunal was part of the continent\u2019s moral duty to hold Russia accountable for the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cA strong tribunal for the crime of aggression can \u2013 and must \u2013 make any potential aggressor think twice,\u201d he said in a video address to the meeting.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Russia declined to respond to news of the tribunal. \u201cWe are not reacting to this,\u201d Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the TASS state news agency.<\/p>\n
France\u2019s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot and foreign ministers of European countries attend a signing ceremony after a Ukraine-EU meeting, in Lviv [Roman Baluk\/Reuters]<\/p>\n
An EU official told the Reuters news agency that the tribunal would have to respect Putin and his officials\u2019 immunity while in office, but a prosecutor could investigate and propose an indictment ready for when the immunity is dropped.<\/p>\n
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel welcomed the move and told Reuters that the tribunal was a good step because it \u201cfills a void that currently exists\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich is how can you prosecute the leadership for the crime of aggression against another country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While the tribunal could start operating this year, it is not the only legal instrument being used against Russia for its war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and other Russian officials for the forced deportation of children and attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.<\/p>\n
Frozen Russian assets<\/p>\n
Elsewhere on Friday, France announced that it would begin tapping into income from frozen Russian assets to help maintain about 60 French-made Caesar howitzers delivered to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
France\u2019s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that using the funds will ensure the \u201ccontinued maintenance of the Caesar cannons it has supplied to Ukraine to help resist Russian attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want peace, and today the only obstacle to peace is in Moscow, parading around under the name of Vladimir Putin,\u201d said Barrot, adding that pressure must be put on the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire.<\/p>\n
In Lviv, the EU\u2019s Kalas also pledged to disburse one billion euros ($1.1bn) from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to Ukrainian arms companies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have just made available 1 billion euros for the Ukrainian defence industry so that Ukraine could better defend itself,\u201d Kallas said. \u201cThis funding will directly support Ukrainian defence companies and secure additional military aid over the coming months, which are critical.\u201d<\/p>\n
The West has frozen around $300bn of Russian central bank assets \u2013 most of which are located in Europe \u2013 over Moscow\u2019s February 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n